


Heliophobia

by Lieju



Category: Indiana Jones Series
Genre: Gen, Horror, something's wrong with indy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22395613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lieju/pseuds/Lieju
Summary: Indiana Jones was Sallah's friend. It was something he was certain of.So why did he feel uncomfortable around him now?No, he was sure it was nothing...
Relationships: Sallah&Henry "Indiana" Jones
Kudos: 9





	Heliophobia

”Why is the dog inside?” Sallah demanded to know.

The errands boy pulled the mangy dog closer. ”He is just a puppy, Sir.”

The dog let out a whine.

Sallah frowned. ”A dog's place is outside. He will be fine.”

”He was scared by something, Sir. He refuses to go outside.”

”I distinctly recall letting you hold onto this stray _because_ you assured me it would guard the shop,” Sallah reminded him. He eyed the trembling creature. ”It's not going to shit all over my carpet, is it?”

”I will train him!” the boy pulled the puppy away. ”He will be great at guarding! The best!”

Sallah eyed the dog giving him literal puppy eyes. ”As long as it won't die on my-”

A knock on the door interrupted him. The dog yelped and dashed off, disappearing into the back of the shop, the boy in tow.

”A great guard dog you have there!” Sallah called out, before walking to the door.

He stopped, suddenly feeling unsure. It would be nice to have a reliable guard dog for these late nights.

He sighed. He would tell the person the shop was closed.

He opened the door and a warm smile spread on his face. ”Indy!”

The man at the floor smiled. ”Sallah.” His smile disappeared and he looked around.

”Are you in danger?” Sallah asked.

”No. Not more than the usual.” He turned back to Sallah. ”Aren't you going to invite your old friend in?”

”Of course, of course! Come in!” he guided the other man inside, closing and bolting the door after him. ”It has been a while, my friend!”

”Sorry, I've been busy. And my travels haven't taken me to Egypt lately. I've been studying more- certain European artifacts. Got back from a long trip across Romania and Hungary.”

”Say no more.” Sallah eyed his friend. He was pale, with an odd tired look in his eye.

Sallah reached to pat his shoulder. Moving surprisingly fast Indiana grasped his wrist.

”And here I thought you were ill.”

Sallah watched him stare at his hand, moving his thumb as if to take his pulse.

Sallah opened his mouth to tell him he was cold. He hesitated. Surely he knew... But the glassy eyed stare was bothering him...

”Are you all right, my friend?”

It looked like that snapped Indiana out of his reverie. He nodded, avoiding his eyes.

”A bit under the weather.”

He dropped his hand before stepping forward to take him into a hug. ”You are my friend.”

Sallah patted his back. ”That established...”

He stepped to the table. ”Please sit, and tell me all about what you are after. You can't fool old Sallah I know you have your reasons for dropping by.”

Indiana gave him a tight-lipped smile and pulled out a journal from his pocket. ”You know me too well.”

Sallah walked off to find the good wine as he started to explain what he was after.

”The Forbidden Cult of Osiris, Sallah. You know of it?”

”The cult of Osiris, certainly.” Sallah set the glass in front of him. ”Everyone knows that. Should you not be looking in Abydos?”

”Not for this particular sect-” Indiana reached to the wine. ”They were-”

He coughed, spitting out the red liquid.

”My carpet!” Sallah hurried to dry it off. ”And my expensive good wine!”

”I'm sorry, it must have gone off.” Indy wiped his mouth. ”Terrible...”

Sallah carefully smelled his drink. ”Seems good to me.” A careful sip confirmed it.

”I'm maybe feeling a bit under the weather,” Indy admitted. ”I'm parched though. Maybe just some water?”

After he had thirstily gulped down the glass of water, he reached to show the journal to Sallah.

”But the cult- They were a group that split from the main Abydos cult after they were caught graverobbing.”

”The cult of Osiris... The dead...”

”Not just the dead, Sallah. These people believed there was a way for the dead to come back to life like their god had. Not just in spirit but in body. For millenia it was believed they vanished but I managed to track them down. An 18th century explorer believed they had achieved it and claimed they would regularly reanimate the dead and even bring them back to true life, just as they had been before death.”

“That sure sounds like something.”

Indy shook his head. “Superstition, of course. But finding this temple will shed light to the political situation of the Second intermediate period. I believe Abydos might have been at one point the center of the political conflict and that there were even attempts to found a new dynasty after the civil war. Sallah, look at this. I need your help locating these places-”

Sallah took the journal and they got to work. Any anxiety that had been bubbling in the back of his mind disappeared as they got into the familiar routine.

Eventually, he yawned. ”This is enough for tonight, I think. The sun is up in a few hours.”

Indiana glanced out of the window and Sallah wondered what exactly he wasn't telling him.

What was he saying? He would trust his friend.

He stood up. ”I will set up a bed for you. Tomorrow... Tomorrow we continue this.”

Indiana got up. ”This is enough. I can track down the temple with this.”

”Surely you will stay the night! Or what is left of it!”

”No, sorry. I gotta hurry.” He set a hand on his shoulder. ”Thank you. For everything.”

”You are worrying me, Indy. You should rest, we can't have you collapsing in a desert, dying of dysentery or-”

”I have no time to waste. But don't worry.”

He gave Sallah an another of those odd tight-lipped smiles. ”I will be back.”

* * *

”The dog!” Sallah struggled up in his bed.

The mutt had eventually grown to be a reliable guard dog, against all of Sallah's expectations.

But now- this kind of barking wasn't normal. The dog almost sounded like it was in a frenzy-

Sallah pulled on his dressing gown and headed downstairs.

Although now the dog was suddenly quiet.

A chill ran on Sallah's back.

He flipped on the light and froze at the familiar figure sitting at the table.

”Indy!”

The archaeologist set down the book he had seemingly been reading and smiled.

Sallah hurried to him. ”Is this any way to treat an old man? Just breaking into my house?”

”Sorry, it was late, I figured I could let myself in.”

Sallah eyed him. ”You look like you haven't had enough sun in a while.”

”I have been pulling all-nighters mostly as of late.”

But still, he looked better than he had the last time Sallah had seen him.

”So tell me, did you find the Forbidden Cult of Osiris?” Sallah asked, pouring him a drink. ”A few years back. You never came back here.”

Indiana ran his finger on the glass. ”No. I didn't find the temple. But I did find something else.”

Sallah sat opposite of him. ”Oh?”

”I managed to track down the old city on the map. Or what was left of it. I spent a while going through the ruins there before realizing I was wrong. The settlement I was looking for was on the other side of the hill. So I started to walk through the desert.”

Sallah drew in breath. ”That was not wise.”

”I was- To be honest at that point I wasn't thinking clearly. I had water with me but it wasn't enough anymore. So eventually I collapsed, middle of nowhere, and I gave up.”

”But you didn't. You did not die.”

Indiana smiled and it wasn't really a smile Sallah had seen on his face ever before.

”Just before sunrise, I was found. A small boy, a Bedouin, happened upon me and called his family.”

Indiana lifted his glass and eyed the wine thoughtfully. ”A small family. A mother and the boy's uncle. A newborn baby girl in addition to the boy. The father was away, in the town some ways off, buying supplies.”

”You were lucky.”

Indiana nodded. ”Yes. That family saved me. Fed me well. And afterwards I stayed in the tent for a few days before setting off.”

”And you didn't go back for the temple?”

Indiana shook his head. ”I had a lot to think about. But I had other more important things to do. I had just avoided death after all, that gives you perspective. I almost let it end back there in the desert...”

An another odd smile played on his lips. ”It's difficult to look back to that now. Difficult to understand what on earth I was thinking.”

”So you are not back in Egypt for the temple?”

”No.” Indiana looked at him. ”I am just here to see a friend.”

Sallah forced a smile. ”I know you well enough to know you want something.”

”Of course.”

Sallah wondered about the light reflecting from his friend's eyes. An odd trick of the light... It was as if he had been frozen.

Sallah tried to open his mouth to say something, anything.

To even look away-

Indy broke eye contact and the bizarre atmosphere was gone as soon as it had arrived.

”But maybe not now. Not tonight. Maybe never.”

He looked him in the eye again and there was none of that odd feeling.

”You are my friend after all.”

As if this was some kind of an important decision he had come to, he stood up and reached to put his hat back on. ”I will be going then.”

”But you haven't even touched your drink!”

Indiana smirked. ”Trust me you don't want that.” He walked to the door. ”Remember? The last time I almost puked it all over your carpet.”

He opened the door and turned to look at Sallah once more.

”Goodbye.”

Sallah ran after him. ”Wait! When will you be back-”

Sallah stepped into the dark. The man had already disappeared into the night.

Sallah sighed.

Remembering the dog he called out: ”Dog!”

He frowned. Usually he came running immediately...

”Dog?”

After a quick search he found the dog.

Whoever had snapped its neck hadn't put much effort in hiding the body, stashing it behind the crates on the yard.

Sallah bit down the scream and retreated back inside.

He bolted the door.

The absurd irrational thought that it had been Indy was quickly dismissed.

But nevertheless, for the first time Sallah hoped it'd be a bit longer this time until he saw his friend again.


End file.
